Sideways Protest
"Sideways Protest" is the second half of the fourth episode of the second season of Wayside. Synopsis The students in Mrs. Jewls's class try to protest when Mr. Kidswatter suggests to move the school, but no one seems to understand how to protest. Plot This episode begins with Louis propping open the front door, in the hopes that Mr. Kidswatter won't walk into it by mistake. However, when he walks into the other door instead, he gets a much more dramatic idea. When Todd is preparing for class, he sees his classmates in a frenzy in the halls. Todd asks what's going on, and they explain that Mr. Kidswatter plans on moving the school permanently, but no one knows where it's going. They explain that they plan on organizing a protest, and Myron is seen operating a bullhorn in the wrong direction. Todd turns it around, and hears that Myron is protesting by resigning as class president, but he explains that he was never class president to begin with. He moves on, and sees that Stephen is protesting by wearing only one ear, Dana is protesting by un-alphabetizing her rulebooks, and Jenny is protesting by stopping bike traffic in the halls. With Mrs. Jewls beating on her bass drum and causing a loud, disorganized protest, Todd decides to take matters into his own hands and suggests that they all work together, and start something simple, like organizing a boycott. They agree to boycott class, and go to class to discuss their boycott of class. Todd tries to point out the flaws in the logic, but it's too late. Meanwhile, Mr. Kidswatter is preparing to find a way to move the school, when a monkey informs him about the protest. Mr. Kidswatter decides he'll need to get a closer look, and the scene cuts back to Mrs. Jewls's class, where Myron suggests they should boycott work. Everyone agrees, and Mrs. Jewls cancels a five-hundred word essay. Dana suggests that instead they could write a five-''thousand'' word letter protesting the essay. Todd walks in, explaining there might be a little problem with the protests. Mr. Kidswatter, disguised as a cow, decides to sneak in on the classroom to hear what they're saying, and overhears Todd explaining that the boycotts are only leading to them doing more work than they'd do otherwise, and that it's as effective as eating during a hunger strike. Dana thinks that's a great idea, and all the students head down to the cafeteria for lunch. They all greet Mr. Kidswatter on the way out, and Kidswatter panics, worrying that with their better behavior, they won't need him. At the cafeteria, the students are all eating, with Eric Bacon asking for more, exciting Miss Mush, as no one ever asks for second helpings. The students ravage the cafeteria line, and Todd tries calming them down, explaining that during a hunger strike, you aren't supposed to eat, but Myron asks what happens if he gets hungry. The question is then answered by Mr. Kidswatter, now "disguised" as one of the kids. He asks who needs civil disobedience to make him do the right thing, and Dana point out that Todd has been helping them learn a lot about boycotts and strikes. Mr. Kidswatter, however, suggests they should just take things over, which Myron and Maurecia admire, but Todd worries could go even more horribly wrong then all they're already doing. Mr. Kidswatter turns the students against Todd, explaining that he's trying to stop them from doing the right thing, and Todd decides to take the protest into his own hands. He is seen in the halls protesting alone, when Louis barges out of the door, laughing about Mr. Kidswatter getting the students to overthrow his own office. Suddenly, all the kids burst out with the same wigs and ascots as Kidswatter, suggesting it's time to move the school. Todd asks what happened, and Dana explains that since they took over, they run the school now, and that as principals, they want to do the right thing. Todd tries to explain how miserably their protest has failed, but Dana explains that they were simply able to co-ordinate their efforts. Todd continues trying to protest, but Mr. Kidswatter has the students ignore him, and prepare to pack up for the big move. Todd continues trying to protest, but feels hopeless, until the next day, when the school appears to be in the same place. Todd thinks the school wasn't moved, and starts walking, until he bumps into the door. Louis walks out to explain that the school was moved two feet to the left so that Mr. Kidswatter wouldn't walk into the door frames anymore. Mr. Kidswatter walks in successfully, but bumps into a door, since the inside doors weren't adjusted. Todd is glad everything's back to normal, though, the repositioned doors lead to a large pile-up of students on the front porch when the bell rings. Characters *Louis *Mr. Kidswatter *Todd *Maurecia *Yodana *Eric Ovens *Eric Bacon *Eric Fry *Stephen *Myron *Jenny *Bicycle monkey (debut) *Mrs. Jewls *Leslie *Bebe *Joe *John *Elizabeth *Shari *Cows *Rondi *Miss Mush *Incidental 022 *Incidental 024 Transcript Read a transcript for "Sideways Protest" here. Trivia *John, Shari, and Todd are the only students that are never seen joining Mr. Kidswatter's side of the protest. Gallery See a gallery for "Sideways Protest" here. Category:Season 2 episodes Category:Episodes